You may have seen something online about a hurricane tracking toward Costa Rica. Or maybe you’re planning a vacation during the hurricane season and wondering if you need to be worried? The short answer is no; Costa Rica doesn’t typically get hit with hurricanes. But there’s more to the story. In this post we’ll share all the details.
Costa Rica very rarely experiences direct hurricane hits. In over 170 years of recorded weather history, only one hurricane has ever made direct landfall in Costa Rica. That was Hurricane Otto in 2016, just a few years after I moved here (lucky me!)
While some weaker tropical cyclones have crossed Costa Rica over the decades, these storms either formed as weak systems or had been downgraded from hurricane strength before making landfall.
Otto was different because it maintained hurricane-force winds as it reached and moved into northern Costa Rica and southern Nicaragua.
While not usually in the direct path of hurricanes, Costa Rica can still be affected by them. Cyclones that pass north sometimes have outer bands that rotate counterclockwise into Costa Rica. Those bands can bring heavy rainfall but thankfully not usually any destructive winds.
Most recently, back-to-back storms in November 2024—Hurricane Rafael and Tropical Storm Sara brought significant flooding and landslides to parts of Costa Rica as they tracked north.
The areas most affected were Guanacaste province and the Pacific coast. Those outer rain bands kept rotating toward the northern Pacific coast for days, saturating those areas.
Costa Rica is lucky because its unique location and geography create a sort of natural protection that keeps hurricanes away.
The country sits at about 10 degrees north of the equator, which puts it in a good position to use the power of something called the Coriolis effect, against itself.
Most hurricanes form off the coast of Africa and travel westward across the Atlantic Ocean, gaining strength and organization from something called the Coriolis effect. This natural rotation occurs because different parts of Earth move at different speeds as the planet rotates (the equator moves slightly faster than the poles).
It’s the spinning motion of the Coriolis effect that creates a hurricane’s signature swirl. But, like a spinning top that trails off as it moves across the floor, hurricanes often curve northward as they travel west. Luckily for Costa Rica, this typically steers them away.
But that is only part of the defense system. The Coriolis effect weakens dramatically as you approach the equator, dropping to zero right at the equatorial line.
Without the spinning force, storms don’t keep their rotational structure and simply fall apart. In fact, no hurricane has ever successfully crossed the equator because the Earth’s own forces prevent it.
This means any storm tracking toward Costa Rica faces an uphill battle: it either curves north and misses a direct hit, or it continues west (just above the equator), loses its spin, and breaks apart.
Costa Rica basically uses the equator as a natural shield!
Whatever remnants are left of a hurricane attempting to hit Costa Rica are met with another defense—the country’s rough topography.
The steep central mountain ranges can disrupt storm systems and “soak up” much of the rainfall and energy. Sometimes this even leaves the Pacific coast relatively dry because the Caribbean slope has absorbed so much of the heavy rain from a tropical storm event.
Just because Costa Rica doesn’t get hit, doesn’t mean we don’t pay close attention to developing storms. Costa Rica follows the same hurricane season timeline as the rest of the Atlantic and Caribbean: June 1st through November 30th.
The most active months in the Caribbean are typically late August through October, when ocean temperatures are warm and atmospheric conditions favor storm development.
The hurricane season basically coincides with Costa Rica’s rainy season, which is May to November.
During these months, the typical pattern is warm sunny mornings, followed by afternoon showers or storms. Even though it sounds very wet, we can often have very nice days with milder temperatures and just passing thunderstorms.
The rainiest months on the Pacific coast are September and October. During those months, there can be consecutive rainy days with high accumulations, mainly because of the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The Caribbean coast, however, is the driest those months
If a hurricane (or remnants of one) comes anywhere close to Costa Rica, it can intensify the normal rainy season precipitation.
Tropical waves are areas of unsettled weather that move across the Atlantic much like hurricanes but don’t have rotation.
In fact, most hurricanes start as a tropical wave that then starts spinning. The ones that don’t spin slug across the Atlantic just holding moisture and making rain. As they cross Costa Rica, they bring heavier downpours because the hot and humid conditions on land increase the atmospheric moisture even more.
These tropical waves are spread out, occurring once or twice per week during the rainy season. They normally pass quickly, within a day or so. For more details, see our Tropical Waves post.
Tropical storms are less intense than hurricanes but can still bring significant rainfall and localized flooding. These systems pack winds under 74 mph (the threshold for hurricane classification) but can dump several inches of rain in a short period.
Since Tropical Storms form in a similar way to hurricanes, the chances of them hitting Costa Rica are also low. We are more likely to get bands of rain from these storms but rarely any heavy winds.
True tornadoes—the kind you see in the movies—don’t actually form in tropical regions like Costa Rica. What we call “tornados” here are technically torbellinos (whirlwinds), which are much weaker and limited in scope.
These are rare but do occur, especially during rainy season in the Central Valley. They’re short-lived, lasting only about 15 minutes, and affect small areas because they are typically just 30 meters (less than 100 ft) or less in diameter. While they move at lower speeds than true tornadoes, they can still cause damage like peeling off roofing material, knocking down trees, and damaging power lines.
Waterspouts form occasionally on both Costa Rica’s Pacific and Caribbean coasts, though they are uncommon. These are essentially whirlwinds (small tornados) that form over the ocean. In Spanish, they are called trombas marinas. You’ll see a distinctive funnel descending from dark storm clouds down to the water’s surface.
Interestingly, there’s been an uptick in waterspout activity recently. Costa Rica recorded seven waterspouts in 2023 alone, compared to just three total from 2017 through 2022. Experts link this increase to rising ocean temperatures, which are running 1°C to 2°C above normal in many areas.
While scary looking, waterspouts aren’t usually dangerous unless they come close to boats or reach land. Winds can exceed 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph). The good news is that waterspouts typically dissipate quickly and rarely make their way inland.
When conditions are just right, downbursts can occur. These events cause high winds, similar to a tornado/whirlwind, but without rotation. They happen when cold air inside a thunderstorm rushes downward rapidly. When that cold air slams into the ground, it has nowhere to go but outward, so it spreads in all directions creating powerful straight-line winds.
The winds can reach speeds of over 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph). That’s strong enough to knock down trees, tear off roofs, and flip over light structures. Downbursts are very localized and happen quickly, usually affecting an area less than 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide and lasting only a few minutes.
A hurricane impacting Costa Rica is pretty rare but there are some notable events in recent weather history.
Hurricane Otto (November 2016) was the first and only hurricane to make direct landfall in Costa Rica since records began in 1851. Making landfall as a Category 2 storm in southeastern Costa Rica, Otto affected over 10,000 people and caused at least $185 million in damage. Otto was unusual because it took a rare southern track that most hurricanes don’t follow, and because it maintained hurricane-force winds while crossing the country—something no previous storm had achieved. This reminds us to never rule out what we think is impossible!
Tropical Storm Nate (October 2017) reached Costa Rica just days before becoming a hurricane and heading north. It caused even more trouble than Otto. With damage of around $540 million (roughly 1% of Costa Rica’s GDP at the time), Nate became the costliest natural disaster in the nation’s history. Again, this was an unusual southern track as a tropical storm, which then went north as a hurricane.
More typical are indirect impacts from storms that don’t make direct landfall but still affect the country. Hurricane Joan (1988) caused 20 rivers to burst their banks and flooded 75 communities. Hurricane Cesar (1996) brought deadly landslides and flash flooding. Hurricane Mitch (1998) brought heavy rainfall that caused $92 million in damage. Similarly, Hurricanes Eta and Iota (2020) brought significant rainfall and flooding despite not making direct landfall.
Most recently, Hurricane Rafael and Tropical Storm Sara (November 2024) caused back-to-back flooding events that resulted in over 5,500 incidents across the country, with 5 deaths and over 3,400 people going into shelters. Again, this was not a direct impact but because of their close passage to the north.
Climate change may be shifting these patterns somewhat. Ocean temperatures are warming, and climate scientists predict that hurricanes may affect different regions more often in the future.
So, what should you expect if you’re in Costa Rica during hurricane season?
Here are some resources to help you stay informed:
Avoid social media misinformation and stick to official meteorological sources rather than unverified social media posts that can blow some weather events out of proportion.
While hurricane season does bring more unsettled weather, Costa Rica’s natural protection means you’re much more likely to experience a few hours of heavy rain than anything resembling the hurricane impacts you see in news coverage from other parts of the world.
Costa Rica’s unique geography provides natural hurricane protection that makes direct hits extremely rare. In over 170 years of weather records, only Hurricane Otto in 2016 has made direct landfall with hurricane-force winds. While hurricane season does bring more rain and storms to the country, this increased activity is really just an extension of the natural wet season driven by the ITCZ. With proper preparation and reliable weather information, there’s no need to excessively worry about hurricanes when visiting or living in Costa Rica.
